The First Zero-Emissions, 12 Meter, All-Electric Bus Launches
Passenger Service in Canada

GATINEAU, Quebec--July 21, 2013: The first
completely
zero-emissions, all-electric bus is now operating in revenue service
on the public streets of the Capital City of Canada -- a
first in all of
Canada! Today, public transit passengers may ride in the long-range,
ultra-quiet, BYD
electric bus in operation by both the Société
de transport de l'Outaouais (STO) and Société
de transport de Montrell (STM) transit companies. The program
in Quebec is being coordinated by AVT
(the Société de gestion et d'acquisition de vehicules de
transport)
-- which was formed by Quebec's nine transit
corporations for the
evaluating of advanced, zero-emissions public transit technologies.
STO
and STM are excited to assess the performance of this break-through,
all-electric battery bus designed and manufactured by BYD
Ltd. Initial full-revenue, service and field testing will run
for approximately 10 months, starting with the STO from this July on
routes into the Capital City of Ottawa next to Parliament Buildings
at Rideau
Centre and also on routes 41, 49, 51, 52, 53, 57 and 59 in the
Aylmer sector. In Montreal, the BYD vehicle will operate until May
2014
along routes in different sectors on weekdays, especially in the
winter.
It will be instrumented and assessed on different types of routes
with
varying slopes, frequent stops and high ridership.

“Besides an
extremely efficient set of in-wheel-hub motors and regenerative
braking/re-charging systems, the large 324 KWh battery pack is meant
to
be only charged at night (off peak), for a full-day's
service without
en-route charging. This battery charge system offers the most
autonomy
of any competitive EV-bus technology”

The revenue service will continue at the STM in early 2014. The
objective of these two transit projects is to evaluate the overall
performance of BYD's long-range, all-electric bus in
varying weather
conditions, compared with regular diesel powered buses. The project
should help to determine and confirm the BYD
Iron-Phosphate battery range which is typically 155 miles with A/C
enabled in the southern United States and China, however, only
limited
testing has been conducted in especially cold temperatures (like
Quebec
could experience). "As the first initiator of this project, the STO
is
especially interested in this testing because
€˜bus-fleet-electrification' is part of our
2005-2015 strategic
development plan," explained STO Chairman Patrice Martin. "Field
testing
will enable our transit corporations to share results of different
projects in progress and determine how this technology best meets our
needs. This initiative also represents a huge step forward towards
zero-emissions, all-electric bus fleets -- the STO is
now embarking on
the path to a greener ways of doing things," stated Mr. Martin.
"Taking
this direction towards sustainable mobility and clean energy is part
of
the Quebec government's vision with its Electric Vehicles
2011-2020
Action Plan. We know that the government will pursue its
commitment
by supporting new technologies capable of reducing GHGs to 25% below
1990 levels by 2020 in accordance with its Climate Change Action
Plan
currently being developed," added the STO's chairman.

The BYD electric bus in Canada is 12 meters long (40 feet), seats 31
passengers (with two ADA compliant wheel-chair locations) and has the
most innovative power-train design unique in the industry.
"Besides an
extremely efficient set of in-wheel-hub motors and regenerative
braking/re-charging systems, the large 324 KWh battery pack is meant
to
be only charged at night (off peak), for a full-day's
service without
en-route charging. This battery charge system offers the most
autonomy
of any competitive EV-bus technology," BYD
Motor's President, Stella Li
stated. "This agreement clearly illustrates the collaboration between
the STM and STO to assess the technologies that best suit their
respective needs. This technology assessment project aims to better
meet
Montreal's and the Quebec government's process with respect to energy
and sustainable development. It is closely linked to the overall
electrification strategy for the Société's surface system. Testing
the
BYD electric bus is one more step in reaching the objective of the
2020
strategic plan. Acquiring only zero emission vehicles for the surface
system as of 2025 will make it possible to reduce our direct GHG and
air
contaminant emissions to zero in 2040. The electrification of public
transit in Montreal is therefore 100% good for the planet!" added
Mr. Labrecque, STM Board Chairman.

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